Audience
natural resource professionals

This is a professional development workshop for agency and organization employees who have been selected by a CLfT identified liaison. Selected individuals must have met a set of selection criteria that includes but is not limited to the following:

Never had a hunting license

Willing to commit to a 40+ hour instructional program that includes long days in both classroom and outdoor exercise settings.

You will be staying at the C'mon Inn Hotel, in Missoula, MT and attending class at the Rocky Mountain Elf Foundation Headquarters. Travel to and from the Foundation will be arranged. All meals are provided. 

Please bring the following, important items:

  1. comfortable, warm, outdoor field clothing--not too bulky
  2. toiletries
  3. cap or headband;
  4. waterproof hiking or field boots
  5. rain gear

The outdoor field exercises will be conducted even if it is cold, raining or snowing, so come prepared for those possibilities. We recommend that you check the Missoula, MT area weather prior to arrival.

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

RMEF Headquarters and Visitor Center

The RMEF Headquarters and Visitor Center sits on 22 acres of land along a natural mountain stream. It includes fun and interactive exhibits to learn more about elk, elk country and the role the RMEF plays in conservation. Discover the diverse wildlife that calls elk country home, explore the role we all play in conserving habitat, and connect with the rich heritage that makes the outdoors so important to so many of us. Along the way, you can hear elk bugle, test your knowledge of wildlife, identify animal tracks, feel the weight of an elk antler, and enjoy wildlife conservation films. Other highlights include an impressive display of trophy elk mounts and our gift shop featuring Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation clothing and merchandise, wildlife art, calendars, and more. 
 

Outdoor Walking Trail

Those wanting to stretch their legs will enjoy the beautiful, wooded nature trail that winds its way around the 22-acre RMEF property. Watch for the white-tailed deer, turkeys, bald eagles, owls, trout and other wildlife that frequent the property.

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
5705 Grant Creek
Missoula, MT 59808
(406) 523-4500
Executive Secretary
Northeast Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies
Gordon retired as Chief Wildlife Biologist for the State of New York in 2015 following a 35 year career as a wildlife biologist with New York, and now serves with the Northeast Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies as Executive Secretary. Gordon is also very active on various committees of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. An enthusiastic deer and turkey hunter, Gordon especially enjoys taking novice hunters afield, and teaching about our trapping and hunting heritage during the CLfT workshops.
Bill has an M.S. in Wildlife Science from Utah State University. He worked for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources for 36 years as a biologist, wildlife manager, coordinator, wildlife section chief and assistant director. He now enjoys the wonders of the world on a daily basis with his family while on the road and from the porch.
Hunter Education Coordinator
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Tim is a 25-year employee of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Law Enforcement Division. Tim’s duties are the coordination of the department’s hunter education program. This program has expanded over the years to include many new and engaging educational programs such as Indiana’s - National Archery in the Schools Program. Tim was appointed the State Coordinator for this program in December of 2005. He is also the National Range Manager for the national archery tournaments hosted the National Archery in the Schools Program across the country. During Tim’s career, his involvement in the shooting sports and hunting has strengthened his abilities to lead the department’s outdoor education programs to a new level. With over 40 years of volunteering and working to promote outdoor activities. In 2018 Tim was inducted into the International Hunter Education Association – USA, Professional Hall of Fame Award while also receiving the Jim and Nancy Mahoney Hunter Education Heritage Award from the Indiana Hunter Education Association. Tim holds numerous training certifications from various organizations that promote and encourage the use of our great natural resources.
Wildlife Management Biologist, Habitat Stamp Program Coordinator
Bureau of Land Management, Taos Field Office
Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA)
Zachary E. Lowe is the Executive Director of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. He served as the Director of CLfT from 2009 to Aug 2021. He has a diverse professional background working within the disciplines of restoration ecology, research/extension, and conservation education. He holds a B.S. in Wildlife Science, a second in Fisheries and Aquatic Science, and a Ph.D. in Restoration Ecology from Purdue University where he maintains an Adjunct Faculty position within the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources. A native of the Midwest, Zach grew up as an avid outdoorsman and is passionate about hunting. He engages in trapping and fishing as the time and the seasons allow. Zach enjoys the culinary rewards of hunting and gardening and finds the preparation of game and local foods to be a year-round connection to the family’s seasonal harvest. Zach serves on The Wildlife Society's Editorial Advisory Board and assists with several national working groups dedicated to how hunting, angling, and trapping can ensure the future of conservation for the collective benefit of all things wild.
Kelly R. Thompson Professor of Quail Research, Dept. Chair of Natural Sciences and Professor of Wildlife Management
Sul Ross State University/Borderlands Research Institute
Dr. Ryan S. Luna is a Research Scientist with Borderlands Research Institute, Chair of the Natural Sciences Department, and Professor of Wildlife Management at Sul Ross State University. He teaches curriculum associated with the Wildlife Management program, and is a faculty advisor to the Range and Wildlife Club. Ryan’s interests focus on habitat use and foraging ecology. His primary research pertains to game bird ecology and management, control techniques for feral hogs, and mule deer population characteristics and habitat use.

Prior to joining BRI, Ryan obtained a PhD at Texas State University. While at Texas State, he was a Doctoral NSF Fellow working in a GK-12 program. When not in middle school classrooms getting students interested in science, Ryan was working on his dissertation which focused on body size, rumen-reticulum functions, and dietary nutrition of white-tailed deer. Prior to his doctoral work, he earned an MS from the University of Texas at San Antonio. During this period he worked for the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio performing behavioral assays on Rhesus Macaques. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University, Ryan worked as a Game Warden for New Mexico Department of Game and Fish until he returned to Texas to begin his master’s and doctoral work.
Assistant Professor of Wildlife Habitat Ecology
Montana State University
Retired
Idaho Dept Fish and Game
1961-70: BS Fish and Game Management, MS Wildlife Management, Oregon State University. Assistant in Veterinary Parasitology, Dept Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University. 1970-1996: Conservation Officer, Wildlife Research Biologist, Regional Wildlife Manager, Idaho Dept Fish and Game. 1996-present: Wildlife contract and consultant work, fly fishing and hunting guide.
Conservation Officer, Retired (01/24/2019)
Formally with Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources, Law Enforcement Bureau
Joli began her career in conservation by volunteering and working seasonal positions in Colorado with the Student Conservation Association, the NPS, USFWS, and the Iowa Conservation Commission while attending and after graduation from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. In 1989, Joli left Colorado to return home to the Midwest to start her 3-decade career as an Iowa Conservation Officer. In 1999, she expanded her role as a law enforcement (LE) trainer with the IDNR, accepting the new position of Training Coordinator and eventually becoming Supervisor of Licensing and Training for fifteen years. Coming full circle, Joli worked her final years back in the field.
Joli’s passions have evolved from LE training and “education through enforcement” to introducing new audiences to conservation and natural resources recreation and appreciation through programs including Outdoor Journey for Girls and Becoming an Outdoors Woman. She also enjoys working with Iowa State University (ISU) in outdoor skills programming, Hunter Education, class presentations, and presenting for over two decades with the Program for Women in Science and Engineering.
Joli enjoys trailrunning, bicycling, and paddling with her partner and dogs. She finds great joy and deep value in bird hunting (especially behind her late, beloved springer, Abbey), firearm and bow hunting deer from a treestand, and sitting in the spring woods calling turkeys. She is excited to spend more time doing all of that--and CLfT!
Director
CLfT
Prior to coming to CLfT, David was a Captain with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division where he served for 27 1/2 years in a variety of positions including Field Officer, Environmental Investigator, Homeland Security Coordinator, Training Administrator and the Education and Training Section Commander. David has held a number of instructor certifications and specialties that included: ILETB Master Instructor, Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor (Handgun, Shotgun and Patrol Rifle), 4H Shooting Sports Shotgun Instructor, Muzzleloading Rifle, Range Safety Officer, Indiana and Illinois Hunter Education Instructor and Indiana Trapper Education Instructor. David is a 1980 graduate of Vincennes University with an Associate of Science degree in Conservation Law Enforcement and a graduate of the 191st Session of the FBI National Academy. He served three terms as president of the Association of Natural Resource Enforcement Trainers (ANRET)(now a subcommittee of NAWEOA). David served as Secretary of the International Hunter Education Association, IHEA from 2009 to 2011. David has remained active in law enforcement by serving with the Mason County Sheriff's Marine Patrol Division and in 2021 he became NASBLA's 1st Certified Recreational Boating Professional (CRBP) in the Nation.